COREY BULLOCK
Cod Gone Wild returns to Kimberley and Cranbrook during the first week of December as part of their 2019 Neighbourhood Rounds Christmas Tour.
The Celtic band will be playing at Centre 64 in Kimberley on Wednesday, December 4, 2019, followed by a performance at The Stage Door Theatre in Cranbrook on Thursday, December 5, 2019. Tickets for the all-ages event are $25 in advance or $30 at the door. Tickets are available at the Centre 64 box office, or online at www.codgonewild.com/shows.
According to a press release from the band, last December, Cod Gone Wild released its Christmas album entitled The Neighbourhood Rounds. With that release, a tradition was born based around the Newfoundland tradition of the Neighbourhood Rounds, where neighbours go house to house to celebrate the season.
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“This year Cod Gone Wild will be embarking on a sixteen stop British Columbia tour connecting and celebrating with their own extended neighbours right here at home across the province,” says the press release.
“This Celtic inspired band is focused on giving traditional music a modern edge. They blend the varied talents of musicians whose classical, folk, rock and jazz backgrounds fuse together to create a dynamic and unique sound that instantly connects and resonates with audiences,” said the Cods’ press release. “Through their uplifting energy, tight vocal harmonies and remarkable stage presence, they weave together a tapestry of tales that evoke a nostalgic experience of days gone by.”
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The band is based out of B.C.’s Okanagan Valley, where they have been since 2009. Lead singer and instrumentalist Andrew Mercer moved to the Okanagan in 2009 from Newfoundland. With him, he brought his passion for Newfoundland, the rich culture and the deeply rooted music he grew up with. Joining Mercer are musicians Susan Aylard on the fiddle, Sean Bray on electric guitar, Dan Fogarty on bass, and David Mihal on the Drums.
“I grew up in a small neighbourhood street called Newfound Lane, in the town of Bay Robert’s Newfoundland. On this street there lived a tight knit group of neighbours, who regularly got together to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. Years ago, a tradition was started at Christmas time to go around the neighbourhood and visit each house, taking the time to have a drink, some food, and to spin a few yarns (tell stories) at each stop along the way,” said Mercer.
The tradition of the neighbourhood rounds, continues today and Mercer has written the title track of the album to not only keep the tradition alive, but to remind people to come together this holiday season.
“It is my hope that in the spirit of the season, despite this tumultuous world that we live in, that people can come together. Visit your neighbours, check in on a friend that you haven’t spoken to in a while, and most importantly, make time for family,” he said.
The album features a mix of original songs and Christmas songs that Mercer grew up listening to on the east coast. “Growing up in Newfoundland and being exposed to traditional music at a young age, there will always be a strong Newfoundland influence in Cod Gone Wild’s music,” Mercer describes, “having musicians from various musical backgrounds allows us to create something a little more modern and edgy that will have a broader appeal to audiences across the country and around the world.”
corey.bullock@kimberleybulletin.com
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